The agencies said they would extend their joint program to finance consumer and business lending for up to six more months.

Each passenger to Ely is subsidized by about $4,500, the highest rate in the Essential Air Service program.

Some criticized stimulus projects are popular locally and underscore that boondoggle is in the eye of the beholder.

A former Credit Suisse banker is found guilty of fraud after deceiving investors into buying risky investments.

Rio Tinto agrees to sell four packaging units of its Alcan aluminium subsidiary for $2bn, as it seeks to trim its debt burden.

Reuters - Asian stocks retreated on Tuesday, following Shanghai shares into the red and keeping nerves frayed about whether further profit taking will end the bull market that emerged from the financial crisis.

Brazil is seeking to reduce close cooperation with foreign oil companies and more directly control extraction.

A former Credit Suisse banker is found guilty of fraud after deceiving investors into buying risky investments.

UK car dealer Pendragon wants the UK government's car scrappage scheme to be extended into next year.

Danish wind turbine firm Vestas, which experienced a protest at its Isle of Wight factory, sees profits decline on falling orders.

Reuters - Asian shares clawed their way back from early lows on Tuesday following wild swings in Shanghai, as investors worried whether more bouts of profit taking will spell the end of the bull market that emerged from the financial crisis.

Reuters - Eyeing a fresh wave of public offerings, Lazard Ltd has hired former Goldman Sachs Group Inc equity-markets banker Tom Tuft, the Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday.

Reuters - UBS will give U.S. authorities the names of about 5,000 wealthy Americans suspected of using the Swiss bank to evade taxes under a deal that will be formalized this week, a U.S. legal source said on Monday.

The sale, to the Australian packaging group Amcor, is a key step in the miner's effort to pay down $38 billion in debt.

Asian markets fluctuated during a volatile session a day after selling off amid worries about the pace of economic recovery. European shares opened higher.

The option of a co-op instead of a government health plan is so ill defined that no one knows exactly what it would look like or how effectively it would compete with commercial insurers.

Loss-making nationalised bank Northern Rock says it will be deferring interest payments on some of its bonds.

Reuters - Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Tuesday, a bounce from Monday's decline, as investors braced for data on new housing starts.

Reuters - U.S. major ExxonMobil Corp has inked a deal to sell liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its share of gas from the Gorgon LNG project to PetroChina in a deal worth about A$50 billion ($41.3 billion), the Australian government said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Sweden's Koenigsegg and U.S.-based General Motors said on Tuesday they had inked a deal for the niche sports car maker to buy loss-making Saab Automobile.

Reuters - Global miner Rio Tinto agreed to sell its Alcan packaging unit for about $2 billion to Australia's Amcor Ltd , easing its debt burden after an ill-timed acquisition two years ago.

AP - Home Depot says its fiscal second-quarter profit fell 7 percent, as the nation's biggest home improvement retailer shuttered its Expo business.

Profit fell as the home-improvement retailer closed its Expo business and was pinched by the recession, but the adjusted results beat expectations.

Sweden?s Koenigsegg and General Motors said that they had made a stock-purchase agreement for the niche sports car maker to buy Saab Automobile.

European stocks bounced back, helped by upbeat German economic data, a day after a deep sell-off around the world.

The struggling commercial lender said that it lost $1.68 billion in the second quarter as CIT?s borrowing costs exceeded income from lending.

China - which holds more US government debt than any other country - cut its holdings heavily in June.

The maker of the Blackberry, Research in Motion, is the world's fastest-growing company, says Fortune magazine.

The South African economy contracted for the third quarter in succession between April and June, data shows.

The value of assets in employees defined-contribution pension funds bounced back in August, consultants Aon say.

Regulated rail fares in the UK are set to fall next year after a key inflationary measure remained near a record low.

Reuters - Stock index futures rose on Tuesday, rebounding from a steep drop the previous session, ahead of data expected to show housing starts rose to their highest level in eight months.

Reuters - Home Depot reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday as cost cuts partly offset weak sales, and the world's biggest home-improvement chain raised its earnings forecast for the year.

Reuters - Details of a landmark settlement of the U.S. tax case against Swiss bank UBS are expected this week, which should help the bank restore its image and open the way for the Swiss state to sell its UBS stake.

AP - Home Depot Inc. said Tuesday that its fiscal second-quarter profit fell 7 percent, as the nation's biggest home-improvement retailer shuttered its Expo business and continued to be pinched by the recession.

The adjusted results beat Wall Street?s expectations, and Home Depot lifted its guidance for full-year earnings from continuing operations.

New figures highlighted how weak the economy remains, even as some optimists declare the recession to be over.

Despite a worse-than-expected housing report, the stock market is joining in a worldwide rebound from Monday?s big sell-off.

Construction of new US homes posted a surprise fall in July, ending three straight months of rises, figures show.

Steven Spielberg's film studio Dreamworks has finally closed a deal with an Indian film company, worth $825m.

UK car dealer Pendragon wants the UK government's car scrappage scheme to be extended into next year.

Reuters - Stocks rose at the opening bell on Tuesday as better-than-expected results from retailers Home Depot Inc and Target Corp tempered a surprise drop in housing starts in July.

Reuters - Ground breaking for new U.S. homes fell unexpectedly in July, but a rise in single-family home construction for a fifth straight month kept hopes alive the economy was poised to recover from recession.

Reuters - Mohamed El-Erian, the chief executive of bond fund manager Pacific Investment Management Co, said on Tuesday that the rally in U.S. stock markets has topped out, as valuations are running ahead of fundamentals.

Reuters - New U.S. housing starts and permits unexpectedly fell in July, pulled down by steeper declines in multifamily units, a government report showed on Tuesday.

The world has begun to recover from recession but the process of economic turnaround will not be simple, the IMF warns.

Returns from similar pension company investments may be used when working out compensation levels for Equitable Life policyholders.

Six mortgage lenders increased their hold over the market for new UK home loans in 2008, figures suggest.

Reuters - Stocks extended gains on Tuesday, boosted by financial and technology shares one day after a sharp sell-off, while retailers were lifted by better-than-expected results from Home Depot Inc and Target Corp .

AP - Target Corp. and Home Depot Inc. on Tuesday posted lower profits that still topped Wall Street expectations, but economic worries are likely to keep shoppers tight-fisted in the months ahead, executives predicted.

The adjusted results beat Wall Street?s expectations, and Home Depot lifted its guidance for full-year earnings from continuing operations.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has replaced its chief executive with a team that includes a turnaround expert, as the storied movie studio grapples with reducing its high debt load.

With German elections in six weeks and Angela Merkel poised to win a second term, the chancellor has made a big effort to promote Germany?s economic interests with Russia.

The writer Alain de Botton will produce a book in September about his one-week appointment as the airport?s writer in residence.

Mr. Novak was a pugnacious political columnist and cable TV fixture whose scoops reached across five decades.

More than 150 US customers of the Swiss bank UBS are being 'criminally investigated' on suspicion of tax avoidance, court documents say.

Reuters - Stocks rose on Tuesday, rebounding from a sharp fall in global equities in the previous session as better-than-expected results from big retailers offset a surprise drop in housing starts.

Reuters - The United States is building criminal cases against more than 150 American clients of Swiss bank UBS as part of a crackdown on tax evasion now made easier by a deal over access to secret account information.

New figures highlighted how weak the economy remains, even as some optimists declare the recession to be over.

Apple is cooperating with the European Commission in examining reports of problems with two iPhones in France and an iPod in Britain.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, crumbling under the weight of a $3.7 billion loan, ousted its chief executive, Harry Sloan, in favor of the star turnaround expert Stephen F. Cooper.

General Motors is adding shifts, some on overtime, to meet a surge in demand set off by the cash for clunkers program.

A federal appeals court overturned the conviction of Gregory L. Reyes, former chief of Brocade Communications, on charges he illegally backdated stock options.

The decision, which centered on antidumping measures, clears the way for Japan to threaten Washington with trade sanctions.

Reuters - Stocks rose on Tuesday, rebounding after sharp losses in the previous session as better-than-expected results from big retailers encouraged investors to step back into the market.

AP - Shares of homebuilders advanced Tuesday after a report showed construction of new homes rose for the fifth straight month, while shareholders approved a takeover of Centex Corp. by rival homebuilder Pulte Homes Inc.

Third quarter results were better than expected, even as some of its major business lines continued to suffer from steep sales declines.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) reports a 19% fall in quarterly profit as the ongoing weak demand for personal computers and printer ink.

The importance of branding humanitarian help

Reuters - Stocks rose on Tuesday, rebounding after sharp losses in the previous session, as better-than-expected results from big retailers encouraged investors to get back into the market.

Reuters - Only three Manhattan office buildings worth more than $30 million were sold in the first half of year, as buyer and sellers failed to agree on pricing and credit stayed tight, according to a report by real estate services company CB Richard Ellis Group Inc.

Reuters - Robert Benmosche, the newly appointed chief executive of AIG , has started to cut up the insurer's restructuring plan, deciding it is better to hold on to an investment advisory unit that is part of the insurer's retirement services group.

AP - At least the market for new homes isn't getting worse anymore, and that's the first step to getting better.

AP - Apparel retailer Gap Inc. reports earnings for its fiscal second quarter after the markets close on Thursday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

The changes will bring 1,350 idled union workers back to work and provide overtime shifts for about 10,000 workers.

Apple is cooperating with the European Commission in examining reports of problems with two iPhones in France and an iPod in Britain.

Terms remain unclear in the sale of the General Motors unit to Koenigsegg, a maker of expensive sports cars with only 45 employees.

Mr. Novak was a political columnist and cable television fixture whose scoops reached across five decades.

Respect, training and communication are important retention tools, especially when cash for raises is in short supply.

Will US mailboxes go the way of the Pony Express?

A change meant to curb conflicts of interest may have opened new problems in the real estate industry.

Third-quarter results were better than expected, even as some of its major business lines continued to suffer from steep sales declines.

The appeals court cited misconduct by prosecutors in making its decision and ordering a new trial.

Companies say new policies from Washington could cost them billions of dollars and raise prices for consumers at the pump.

Evidence that drug makers are using the bylines of top doctors on positive journal articles about their products has drawn a senator?s warning.

A deal to let Google profit from digital books raises questions about fairness and privacy.

Profit declines and losses continue to weigh on major chains, with only discount-focused names like TJX showing growth.

Carmakers hope to make recharging battery-powered vehicles as cheap and convenient as possible.

STAR Group will split its business into three units: STAR India, STAR Greater China and Fox International Channels.

The company also said that next month it would release a slimmer, lighter model with a 120-gigabyte hard drive.

Contradictory information on unemployment, production and prices are keeping the global outlook cloudy.

Reuters - Japan's Nikkei average dipped 0.2 percent in choppy trade on Wednesday, weighed down by investor caution after disappointing U.S. housing data, but blue-chip stocks such as Canon Inc (7751.T) and carmakers jumped after brokerage upgrades.

Reuters - Crude prices rose by more than $1 a barrel on Wednesday after industry data showed a surprisingly sharp drawdown in U.S. crude inventories last week.

Reuters - U.S. mortgage giant Freddie Mac on Tuesday named Bruce Witherell as its new chief operating officer, effective September 14.

The company plans to rely on its partnership with Verizon Wireless.

An average one-third cut in rates has led to high occupancy and kept defaults low among New York hotels, at least so far.

Demand and greater access to public financing have fueled construction of charter schools in New York City.

The Geron Corporation said regulators had ordered it to halt the trial, before any patients had been enrolled, for a therapy for paralyzed people.

Ms. Friedman said she never felt overshadowed by her husband, who made a habit of giving her full credit for her contributions to their work.

Reuters - Asian stocks edged up on Wednesday but hovered near three-week lows hit the previous day, with investors cautious ahead of Chinese bank results and wary that profit taking will continue to stall a six-month rally.

Reuters - Oil extended gains toward $70 on Wednesday, after surging more than 3 percent in the previous session on data that showed a surprise fall in U.S. crude stocks, boosting hopes of demand recovery in the world's top energy user.